What Would a Smartwatch for Astronauts Look Like?

Apple Watches, Android Wear. We know what smartwatches look like on Earth, but what should they look like ...in space?! If you've ever wanted to design something for NASA to use on the International Space Station, now is the time.

The space agency has posted a contest at Freelancer looking for interface designs for a smartwatch app to be used by astronauts. They want "picture (PNG or JPEG) wireframes" that showcase how the interface would look and function rather than a full app, so no real coding experience is required.

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What's it need to do? More than send doodles or heartbeats. NASA wants the app to be able to provide a crew timeline of activities, cautions and warnings, timers for various operations, and the ability to determine whether the ISS can communicate with the ground. You know, real important things that an astronaut needs to know at a glance. NASA also notes to use the Samsung Gear 2 as a basis for these designs, though there's no telling exactly what smartwatch they may have their eye on.

The contest runs until September 9th and pays $1,500. That is, if you have the foresight to be able to design a smartwatch a good space-smartwatch. Designing terrestrial smartwatches has proven to be hard enough so far.